The first half of Stargate Atlantis's new season will end with an episode titled "First Contact," featuring Michael Shanks.

A brief excerpt:

Thursday - April 3, 2008 | by Darren Sumner

The first half of Stargate Atlantis's new season will end with an episode titled "First Contact," writer-producer Martin Gero told GateWorld in an exclusive interview today. The episode is the first of a two-parter, guest starring Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson.

**snippage**

Stay tuned to GateWorld for more on "First Contact," and much more from Vancouver this week! Season Five premieres on SCI FI Channel in the United States this July.

TV Shows on DVD is reporting that the release date for SG1: Continuum is July 29 '08:

Following up on last month's highly-praised direct-to-DVD release of Stargate - The Ark of Truth, fans are champing at the bit for the release of the next feature-length production, Stargate - Continuum. Official word from MGM Studios and distributor Fox Home Entertainment hasn't come through yet, but the scoop we've gotten from our own contacts in the industry is this: the new DVD feature will be in stores on July 29th!

We haven't had a look at the packaging yet, nor any word so far as to cost, specs or any bonus material that might be included. But stay tuned and we'll fill you in on these topics, just as soon as we can!

I'm pleased to be able to post this new piece of cover art today, freshly approved by MGM. A big round of applause for our designer and art hero Alex Mallinson...

Stargate SG-1 Shell Game is currently planned for a June release, and as the cover states, it stars Claudia Black as Vala Mal Doran, supported by Michael Shanks as Doctor Daniel Jackson. Shell Game is set in season ten of SG-1; the plot involves Vala's past coming back to bite her in the ass, when a crime she once committed is revealed to have a very serious consequence...

Robert C. Cooper has worn many different hats for the Stargate franchise, from story editor and writer to executive producer and director. His influence has culminated in the Ori story arc, which he played a major role in creating. The Ori spanned the final two years of Stargate SG-1 and the new DVD movie, Stargate: The Ark of Truth -- which Cooper also wrote and directed.

The Ark of Truth left us with a number of questions about the mythology, from the Ancients and the Ori to the final fates of some of our favorite characters. In this extensive, two-part interview, Cooper goes more in-depth than ever before on the Ori storyline and The Ark of Truth.

In Part 1 he answers questions about the concept of the Ori and what he found most interesting about them, Adria and her relationship with Vala, and the challenge of keeping the series accessible to a broad audience. He also reveals what Season Eleven would have looked like, had SG-1 not been canceled when it was.

(Please follow the link for the complete lengthy interview. Several embedded videos at the site and photos.)

Originally posted: April 2, 2008'Battlestar Galactica's' fourth season, the strike, and directing in space: The scoop from Ron Moore

Below is the edited text of my mid-March conversation with “Battlestar Galactica” executive producer Ronald D. Moore. In a day or so, I’ll post a review/feature on Season 4, which begins 9 p.m. Friday on Sci Fi. But I thought I’d post the text of this interview first.

By the way, I posted a few highlights from this interview here two weeks ago; that post includes Moore's thought on the new "Star Trek" film, the set of which he visited recently.

* 1. Moore discussing his first-ever stint in the director’s chair* 2. Moore discussing the 100-day WGA strike* 3. Non-spoilery “Battlestar” info* 4. Somewhat spoilery “Battlestar” info that you can probably safely read after you’ve seen Episode 1 of Season 4 (you can read it before that if you’re OK with discussion of some general story themes that coming up. This section doesn't reveal many plot points.)* 5. The final bit is pretty spoilery material

You will get warnings before any spoilers appear. If you want to be spoiler-free for Season 4, you can safely read the first three sections of this interview. And then you can go look at the Season 4 cast photos.

Then you can watch this funny eight-minute video, which efficiently recaps the first three seasons of "Battlestar." There's also a long conference-call interview with Katee Sackhoff, who plays Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, here.